Combined pulling and tilting device for venetian blinds



Aug. 21, 1956 G. BERGLIND COMBINED PULLING AND TIL-TING DEVICE FORVENETIAN BLINDS Filed Jan. 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 621/900 Band/0DAug. 21, 1956 2,759,535 COMBINED PULLING AND TILTING DEVICE f oRVENETIAN BLINDS Filed Jan. 29, 1955 BERGLlND- s Shets-Sheet 2 ummnBERGLI'ND G. BERGLIND Aug. 21, 1956 COMBINED PULLING AND TILTING DEVICEFOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed Jan. 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 j H 0 l 4 5/ MM. w

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GwwMR Blanca/No United States Patent CUMBINED PULLllNG AND TlLTlN GDEVICE FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Gunnar Berglind, Goteborg, Sweden ApplicationJanuary 29, 1953, Serial No. 333,900

Claims priority, application Sweden February 1, 1952 Claims. (Cl.160-168) The present invention relates to a pulling and tilting devicefor Venetian blinds, by which it is possible to pull up the blind and tolower it to a greater or lesser extent by one single pair of cords aswell as by the same pair of cords to adjust the tilt of the ribsindependent of the elevation of the blind.

The operation of a blind according to the invention is managed in thefollowing way. To pull the blind up or to let it down at a certain tiltof the ribs two cords are simultaneously pulled or slackened. To adjustthe tilt of the ribs only one or the other of the cords is pulled,according to the desired tilt.

The advantage of this device is evident. in previously known embodimentsof Venetian blinds separate operating members were used, firstly forpulling up and lowering the blind and secondly for tilting the ribs. Itis true that embodiments are known in which it is possible to efiectboth operations with one cord or one pair of cords, but theseembodiments are either very complicated or only permit of limitedoperating possibilities. A further advantage of the object of theinvention is that the operator can correct the undesirable inclinationof the ribs in the longitudinal direction which may be caused by theunequal stretching of the pulling members. If an inclination of thelower ribs in the longitudinal direction is desired, which may in manycases be desirable, this is easily obtainable.

According to the principle of the invention, this is obtained in thatthe members for pulling up and lowering the blind which generallyconsist of cords that may be secured to fasteners or run through pulleysor the like at the bottom rib of the blind, are arranged to actuatedevices in the head rail of the blind for adjusting the tilt of the ribsin such a way, that when pulling two cords simultaneously the tiltingdevice is not actuated, while the pulling of only one cord causes anadjustment of the tilt.

The invention can be seen from a couple of embodiments, shown in theaccompanying drawings which comprise 13 figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a Venetian blindwith an operating device according to the invention in such a positionthat the ribs are horizontal.

Figure 2 corresponds to Figure 1 with the operating device adjusted sothat the ribs are inclined from the left side upwards towards the rightside.

Figure 3 shows the operating device adjusted for an inclination oppositeto the one shown in Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 show a detail of the operating device.

Figures 68 show diagrammatically the adjustment of the tilt of the ribswhen the blind is fully lowered.

Figures 9-11 show the corresponding adjustment when the blind is halfpulled up or half lowered.

Figures 12 and 13 show diagrammatically some modified and partlygeneralized embodiments within the scope of the invention.

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The blind shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 consists of a head rail with aU-shaped cross section and a middle portion 1 and two parallel sideflanges 2 and 3. The head rail may also have a different cross section.In the known way the blind may consist of a number of ribs 4 and 5carried parallel in relation to each other and at equal distance, whenthe blind is lowered, by means of carrying members 68, for instancecarrying bands. The ribs may rest on strips running transversely betweenthe carrying bands, which is a common arrangement, or in some othersuitable way they may be hinged to the carrying members. This detail isoutside the scope of the invention and, therefore, has been onlysymbolically indicated in the Figures 13 by the reference numeral 9.

At the top rib 4 the carrying bands 6-8 may end in a ring, a joint orthe like, from which operating members extend for the operation of theelevation of the carrying hands, by which the tilt of the ribs isadjusted. The carrying bands 68 on the left side are matched by similarmembers on the right side of the blind, visible in the Figure 3 andmarked 6', 7' and 8'. At the adjustment the opposite carrying members 6and 6 etc. move in opposite directions upwards or downwards. Thecarrying members 6-8, 68' need not be bands, they may consist of yarn,string or any other textile material, or of plastic, Phosphor bronze,light metal etc.

The pulling up and lowering of the blind is, in the example, managed bya cord laid in a loop and one part 10 of which passes through all theribs at one end and the other part of which passes in the same waythrough the ribs at the other end. At the bottom the parts 10 and 11 maybe fastened to the bottom rib which is usually of a strongerconstruction or replaced by a thicker rail. Alternatively, they may passover rollers or the like in said rail and thereafter run upwards, sothat the bottom rail forms a kind of double pulley. The bottom rib isindicated by 5 in Figures 6ll. In the head rail 1 there are holes 12-19,through which pass both the cord parts 10 and 11 and the operatingmembers which actuate the elevation and lowering of the carryingmembers. In the drawing these holes are shown with antifrictionbushings. Of course, easily running guide pulleys may be used instead.At the farther end of the head rail 1 a larger pulley 20 is movablyjournalled around a pin 21 which may be fixed in the head rail orarranged like the shaft of a pulley. A force transmitting element in theform of a string is arranged around this pulley with the parts 22 and 23running on either side of the pulley and along the head rail. They endin members 24 and 25, respectively, resembling pulleys and in thefollowing called pulley members. Figures 4 and 5 show the pulley member24 in approximately full size. The string part 22 is surrounded by aslotted clamping sleeve 26 clamping in the part 22 and another stringbesides, whereof more will be told in the following. The part 22 neednot be ended by the clamping sleeve 26 but may continue past it,according to the drawing. From the clamping sleeve extends a lug 27which forms the journalling point for a pulley with a holder 28-31,which can be clearly seen from Figure 5 and should need no explanation.

The pulley member 25 is constructed in the same way. For the sake ofclarity it is in the drawing shown reversed, but it may be madeapproximately or exactly equal to the pulley member 24.

An operating string 33 extends from the clamping sleeve 26 and anotheroperating string 38 from the clamping sleeve of the pulley member 25.Further, operating strings 35 and 37 extend from a clamping sleeve 42mounted on the string part 22, and the operating strings 34 and 36extend from clamping sleeves 41 and 42 mounted on the string part 23.The cord part 10 passes through the pulley member 24 and the cord part11 through the may be provided with a ball button 44 or a comparableindicating member. In Figures 1-3 they are shown as cut off, to indicatea greater pendant length.

The device operates in the following manner. Starting from Figure lwhich is supposed to show a Venetian blind in an entirely loweredposition, if the part 1'9 is pulled it will draw the pulley member 24-to the right. Thereby a pull arises in the string part 22 and over thepulley 20 also in the string part 23, which will be moved to the lefttogether with the pulley member 25. The outer cord part 11 will therebybe shortened. Thus, the operating strings 33, 3S and 37 will be loweredtlu'ough the holes 12, and 17, respectively, while the operating strings3d, 36 and 38 will be pulled up from the holes 14, i6 and 13,respectively. The carrying members 6-8 are lowered, while the carryingmembers 6-8 are elevated, and the ribs are tilted to the position shownin Figure 2, the ball 44 having been moved to the right side of the cordloopv If, on the other hand, the outer cord part 11 is pulled, theadjustment will be made to the position shown in Figure 3 by an effectin the opposite direction from that of the previous manoeuvre.

The cord parts 10 and 11 are thus allowed to run quite freely inrelation to the positions of the pulley members 24 and 25. The latterare only dependent on the difference between the lengths of the parts14} and ill outside the rail. If the two cord parts 10 and 11 are pulledsimultaneously, equally great forces directed towards each other willaffect the string 22-23, and the operat ing device remains unmoved.

Figures 6-11 show very diagrammatically a blind in difierent positionsof elevation and tilting. it is placed in a window with the frame 45 andbetween the panes 46 and 47.

Figures 6-8 correspond to Figures 1-3.

Figures 9-11 show a blind half pulled up or lowered.

A special advantage of the object of the invention is that the tilt ofthe ribs may be adjusted in any state of elevation of the blind. Thecord parts it and ill outside the blind are, of course, longer inFigmres 9-11 than the corresponding parts in Figures 6-8, but the tiltof the ribs is dependent exclusively on the relative lengths of theouter parts 10 and ill, which are shown by the indicating ball 44 in allof the Figures 6-11. For adjusting the tilt, when the blind is half-waypulled up, as in Figures 9-11, and the'cords It and 11 are tense, onecord should be slackened as much as the other one is pulled.

For belaying the cord parts lit) and 11 when the blind is partly pulledup or lowered, a fastener or rope-clip of a suitable construction'may beused, as indicated in Figures 6-11, detail 4-8. If the blind is fullylowered, no belaying is needed to keepthe ribs in the adjusted tiltedposition.

It is not necessary for the parts it? and 11 to be joined in a loopoutside the blind. They may equally well have free ends finishing offwith knots, buttons or the like, or they may be connected to or ended bysome suitable adjustment member.

Figures 12 and 13 show some other embodiments within the scope of theinvention. Figure 12 shows a double pulley arrangement between thepulling cords and the operating string 22, 23. According to Figure 12,this string is laid frictionally around a larger part of the pulley 29,while the operating strings 33 and 37, on 'one hand, and 34 and 38, 'onthe other hand, extend from a smaller part of the pulley 20. Thereby anadditional change of the speed ratio is obtained. The inner cord parts10 and 11 run through slide rings 24 and Z5, which are fastened to thehead rail by rivets "or the like,

i 49' and 50, and which run through slide rings 24 and 25 correspondingto the pulley members in Figures l-3.

In the embodiment according to Figure 12 the relative movements of theparts 10 and lit for a certain tilting adjustment must, of course, begreater than when using the device according to Figures 1-3. The cordpart 10 is guided around a guide pulley 51.

The embodiment according to Figure 13 differs from that in Figures l-3by this that slide rings 24 and 25 replace the pulley members and thatthe operating strings 33, 34, 37, 33 extend from the pulley 2B. Themiddle operating strings 35 and 36 in Figures l-3 are not recurring inFigure 12. They are not always necessary.

In narrow blinds, i. e. blinds with short ribs and a short anchor list,it may meet with difficulties to find room for the arrangements shown inthe drawings. In such blinds, the holes 12-14 and 17-19 must be placednear the respective ends of the head rail. As regards the left part ofthe arrangements described and shown in the drawings, there must be acertain minimum space between the pulley 2t and the holes llZ-ftl, whichmay be impossible to obtain in narrow blinds.

However, even for such blinds a device according to the invention may beused with only a slight deviation from the embodiments shown in thedrawing. In narrow blinds, the middle carrying members 7 and 7 as wellas the operating strings 35 and 36 pertaining thereto are not necessary.The pulley 24) may then be placed near the middle of the head rail. Nochange is needed in the cord part 11 and the pulley member 25. But thecord part 10 must be directed to the left towards the bushing 13 bymeans of a guide pulley, after having passed the pulley member 24. Theoperating strings 33 and 3-4 will extend to the left from the parts23and 22 respectively.

Another modification for the same purpose consists therein that thestring 2223 is laid in an S-loop over a further pulley. The pulleymembers 24 and 25 will then move in the same direction and not inopposite directions, as in the embodiments shown in the drawings. Thenan extra guide pulley in the head rail is needed for one of the pullingcord parts 10 and 11.

For fastening the cords it) and 11 when the blind is wholly or partlypulled up any suitable rope-clip or fastener may be used. Such a member,detail 48, is diagrammatically shown in Figures 12 and 13.

The embodiments shown in the drawings and described above may bemultiplied within the scope of theinvention.

It is not necessary that the blind according to the invention issuspended vertically. it may very well be inclined inwards or outwardsin its entirety or partly. What 1 claim is:

1. A Venetian blind comprising a supporting head rail,..carrying memberssuspended below said head rail, each one consisting of two side membersand cross supports .th'erebetween, a plurality oi parallel slats carriedon said cross supports, a fixed aids rotatable element mounted on saidhead rail, a force transmitting element encircling said rotatableelement. a plurality of displaceabledirection translating elementsconnectedto said force transmitting element, flexible members Onopposite sides of said head rail movable by said torce transmittingelement and extending downwardly through .said head rail connecting toand. carrying the side members, means to raise and lower the slats andto change the angularity of'the slats comprising a pair rot cords,having their free ends hanging at the side of said. slats and extendingupwardly through said head rail-and horizontally thereon and encirclingsaid direction translating elements each cord thereby having itsdirection reversed, and :then extending downwardly throughsaidheadrailand slats connecting to the lowermost slat.

2. A Venetian blind comprising .a supporting head rail,..carryingmembers suspended below said head rail,

each one consisting of two side members and cross supports therebetween,a plurality of parallel slats carried on said cross supports, a fixedaxis rotatable element carried by said head rail, a force transmittingelement encircling saidrotatable element, a plurality of displaceablepulleys connected to said force transmitting element, flexible memberson opposite sides of said head rail connected to said force transmittingelement and extending downwardly through said head rail connecting toand carrying the side members of said carrying members, means to raiseand lower the slats and change the angularity of the slats comprising apair of cords having their free ends hanging at the side of said slatsand extending upwardly through said head rail and horizontally thereonand encircling said displaceable pulleys, each cord thereby having itsdirection reversed and then extending downwardly through said head railand slats and connecting to the lowermost slat.

3. A Venetian blind as claimed in claim 2 in which said forcetransmitting element comprises a flexible cord.

4. A Venetain blind comprising a supporting head rail, carrying memberssuspended below said head rail, each one consisting of two side membersand cross supports therebetween, a plurality of parallel slats carriedon said cross supports, a fixed axis rotatable element carried by saidhead rail, a force transmitting element encircling said rotatableelement, a plurality of displaceable pulleys connected to said forcetransmitting element, flexible members on opposite sides of said headrail encircling said rotatable element and extending downwardly throughsaid head rail connecting to and carrying the side members of saidcarrying members, means to raise and lower the slats and change theangularity of the slats comprising a pair of cords having their freeends hanging at the side of said slats and extending upwardly throughsaid head rail and horizontally thereon and encircling said displaceablepulleys, each cord thereby having its direction reversed and thenextending downwardly through said head rail and slats and connecting tothe lowermost slat.

5. A Venetian blind as claimed in claim 4 in which said rotatableelement is a two-stage pulley, each stage having a different diameter,said force transmitting element encircling that part of said two-stagepulley having the greater diameter and said flexible members encirclingthat part of said two-stage pulley having the smaller diameter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

